Entries Tagged as 'Agriculture'

It's not every day an Agriscience program has students that are recognized nationally. But Judson High School's Ag program is not just a typical program. The school's FFA chapter sent three students to the organization's national conference in Indianapolis Indiana and all three placed in their respective Food Products and Processing Systems categories.

Mallori Johnson and Sutton Horner took Gold Medals home for their project "The Effectiveness of Natural versus Artificial Preservatives in Snacks." Their project won 1st in state and they took 4th nationally.

Meanwhile, Samantha Obuch took her project “Bad To The Buns: Extending the Life of Baked Bread" which took the top spot at state, took 12th place nationally.

In addition, the Judson FFA received a 3 Star Rating for National Chapter Award...the highest you can get, with stage recognition at the conference. What a great program! Congratulations to these students and of course the instructors and program directors, including Mr. Jay Trees, for guiding a great program.

While many students were using the summer to regroup a bit, Judson FFA students were busy receiving awards and recognition at the 88th Annual Texas FFA Convention. They took a road trip to Dallas for the event and they didn't come back empty handed.

First, Samantha Obuch had an outstanding entry in the Food Processing category, division II and was awarded first place with her project called "Bad To The Buns: Extending the Shelf Life of Baked Bread Using Preservatives."

Samantha with her ribbon at the state convention

Then Mallori Johnson and Sutton Horner also participated in the Food Processing category division IV and took first place with her project "The Effectiveness of Natural Versus Artificial Preservatives in Creating Shelf Stable Snack Sticks."

Besides both entries winning first place in their divisions, they also advanced to the national level and were selected in the top fifteen to compete at the National FFA Agriscience Fair in Indianapolis in October. Congratulations to these students

In addition, the Judson FFA Chapter also received the prestigious Gold Emblem rating. The Gold Emblem rating is only for the top 10 percent FFA chapters in the state. The Judson Chapter will go on to the National FFA Chapter Contest to compete.

Lone Star FFA Degree recipients

Career Development Events (CDE) are opportunities for students to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to the real world. Members of the Judson FFA went to Lubbock in April to compete in the state Wool Evaluation Career Development Event. More than 14,000 students began the contest in 28 different events ranging from technical, leadership and interpersonal skills to tests in teamwork. Judson placed 6th in the state Wool Evaluation contest. Congratulations to everyone!

The Judson FFA is a great program that is well run and provides great instruction and work ethic for students. But it doesn't just happen. A program this successful is oiled with a lot of hard work, volunteers and yes fundraising. There are a couple of great opportunities coming up over the next several weeks. First the Judson FFA Alumni Association Bar B-Q Plate Sale. It's Saturday, November 14th from 12 Noon - 3 pm at the Judson High School campus. They've done this before and it was great stuff!

Then there is the Judson FFA Parent/Alumni Poinsettia Sale. The holiday plants are a classic and they're only $10 each. Please order by November 17th...pickup is Tuesday, December 1st from 4:30 pm to 6 pm at the Ag Barn behind the Performing Arts Center.

Making that transition from middle school to high school is a big step, but it's also something that should be celebrated...it's a time of growth and encouragement. Ag. Science Director Jay Trees and several Judson High School students took some time to literally build their own version of encouragement, by creating a wooden bridge for the Crossover Ceremony. The piece will be used at Judson Middle School for their 8th grade completion/graduation events. A big thanks also to Mr. McCoy who donated the wood for the project.